


but only because you were gone

by tigriswolf



Series: comment_fic drabbles [194]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Non-Graphic Violence, roaring rampage of revenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-17
Updated: 2014-07-17
Packaged: 2018-02-09 08:00:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1975116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigriswolf/pseuds/tigriswolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The asset says, "But I knew him."</p>
            </blockquote>





	but only because you were gone

**Author's Note:**

> Title: but only because you were gone  
> Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Anne Sexton  
> Warnings: AU during Winter Soldier; character death; implied violence/torture  
> Pairings: none  
> Rating: PG  
> Wordcount: 500  
> Point of view: third  
> Prompt: Marvel, dark!Charles Xavier and/or dark!Steve Rogers and/or dark!any-Marvel-character-who-is-usually-depicted-as-sunshine-and-rainbows, Peace was never an option

_“But I knew him,” the asset said and Alexander let out a sigh of disgust._

_He stood and looked at Rumlow. “Get rid of it,” he ordered. “We need to clean this mess up.”_

…

When Captain America sends out the call to arms, there is no Winter Soldier attacking those loyal to SHIELD. There is no Winter Soldier waiting on the helicarrier, so Captain America completes his mission much sooner. 

Pierce still dies, loyal to the last, and Natasha still gives Steve a folder 70 years in the making. 

. 

Steve clears the DC bases first and he finds the cryo-chamber, the chair, and –

Everything happened so quickly that the disposal has yet to take place. It has been a week since the bridge, since Steve saw Bucky and Bucky – 

Steve falls to his knees and Sam says, “Oh, fuck,” as he steps in behind him. 

Two years of thinking Bucky dead, a week of knowing he was alive, and now… 

He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and then rises to his feet. This isn’t going to be a rescue anymore. This isn’t going to be a gathering of intel, of trying to separate the wheat from the chaff. “Sam,” he says, “you might not want to follow me now.” 

This is going to be wholesale slaughter and there’s no one left who will be able to stop him. 

.

“Shouldn’t we… shouldn’t we stop him?” Bruce asks as Tony scans through the latest news report. The media hasn’t figured it out; Steve’s not carrying the shield anymore. 

Tony remembers a cave in Afghanistan, piles of weapons that all had his name. 

Natasha and Clint are still in the wind; Fury’s off searching for all the hydra’s heads. He’ll probably run into Steve soon enough. Tony wonders how that will end. 

“Be my guest,” Tony tells him, “but I’m sure as fuck not getting in his way.” 

Tony knows how many of the history books are filled with lies, and he grew up on stories of Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers. 

If Steve asks for help, he might even give it. (He knows Steve won’t ask for help. Not for this.)

.

“Holy fuck, holy fuck, holy fuck,” Sam chants, following Steve from up high.

Every day, he thinks about telling Steve he’s done. 

Every day, he doesn’t. Because Steve needs someone with him so he doesn’t lose himself more than he already has. 

Sam survived a war, and then an attempted insurrection on his home turf. He may not survive Steve Rogers’ crusade for vengeance. 

But he can’t leave. He won't. 

…

 _Brock watched the asset, waiting to see if it would defend itself_. 

_The asset watched him as all the technicians fled, as the Strike team readied themselves. Brock sighed, grabbed his gun, and aimed between the asset’s eyes_. 

_“I knew him,” the asset said; Brock thought it sounded almost _satisfied_ , but that couldn’t be. The asset didn’t feel_. 

_He pulled the trigger_. 

_“Deal with this,” he ordered the technicians, gesturing for his team to follow him out_.


End file.
